Depending on weight, it may be too much for a 28mm tire. The thinner a tire becomes from wear the more likely a flat. Replacing tires before totally worn out does reduce the number of flats. We rode around Lake Michigan on 26 X 1.5 Schwalbe Marathon Racers with no flats. We carried a folding spare and replaced the rear tire after 1000 miles to decrease the chance of a flat. We are a 350 pound team with 25 pounds in the rear panniers. We have also ridden the 28 mm Gatorskins on our 700c tandem for 9 years and 36,000 miles with have very few flats. The Gatorskins seem to be a good tire.
It would be great to hear about your trip. Either on this forum or crazyguyonabike.com.